Our new report, Rebooting Business: Valuing the Human Dimension, published to coincide with the launch of the CGMA, found that a key concern troubling chief executives is building a sustainable business while the markets are fixated on short-term gains.

Some organisations are able to push back against this, such as Unilever, which famously refused to bow to quarterly reporting in the face of investor pressure. Others, such as Southern Cross, were driven into the ground by focusing on short-term profit at any cost.

But our report warns chief executives are being held back by the financial markets as many investors show little or no interest in the longer term.

The research underlines the need for a new breed of financial professional that is able to offer a multidisciplinary approach. The global economic crisis means the quality of decisions taken by organisations is now paramount. There is much less room for error and businesses must wake up to the fact that they will be held to account for unsustainable and unethical decisions.

Chief executives are adamant that they need help in ‘connecting the dots’ to give a clear picture of how the organisation is running and where the opportunities are.
Charles Tilley is the chief executive of CIMA and joint-head of the new CGMA